Deployment of a Coastal Defence Unit at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River

• The Coastal Artillery Regiment number 4 of the Field Artillery Command has deployed a Coastal Defence Unit in the area of Sanlúcar and Chipiona between 5 and 12 November

The Coastal Artillery Regiment number 4, belonging to the Field Artillery Command, is the only Army unit that is equipped and trained to generate the capacity for coastal defence and control at any point of the national geography, or in any other place where international commitments may require it.

In order to maintain the level of training achieved, the Regiment sets up a Coastal Defence Unit (UDACTA in Spanish) with artillery material, command and control and logistical elements, and include more than a hundred soldiers, who will move from San Fernando and Tarifa to the area of the mouth of the Guadalquivir between 5 and 12 November. The unit also integrates a specific component for Force protection based on the Tercio Alejandro Farnesio number 4 of the Legion's Brigade.

This UDACTA, under the operational command of the Operations Command, is integrated into the Maritime Operational Command for the fulfilment of its permanent missions of surveillance of national sovereignty spaces, and with its sensors it increases the real-time visibility of maritime traffic.

The mobility of the equipment and the capacity to link up the means of transmission are what provide this unit with its marked expeditionary character, widely demonstrated not only in this deployment but also in previous ones, both on the peninsula and outside of it.

Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations

Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations are an effective tool for maintaining surveillance of sovereign spaces, allowing early detection of threats and facilitating an immediate and viable response to a potential crisis.

The Operational Commands for Land (MOT in Spanish), Maritime (MOM in Spanish), Air (MOA in Spanish), Space (MOESPA in Spanish) and Cyberspace (MOC in Spanish) make up the structure of the Permanent Commands. On a daily basis, some 3,000 Armed Forces personnel are involved in permanent operations, under the operational control of the Operations Command.

Maritime Operational Command (MOM)

The Maritime Operational Command (MOM) is the organ of the operational structure of the Armed Forces, subordinate to the Chief of Defence (JEMAD in Spanish) responsible, at his level, for planning, conducting and monitoring presence, surveillance and deterrence operations in maritime areas of sovereignty, responsibility and national interest. It is under the command of the Admiral of Maritime Action (ALMART in Spanish) and is based in Cartagena.